OBITUARY
Rev. Richard M. Devoe
Dick was a g-grandson of Captain Peter DeVaux of Alder Point Road, has many cousins up that way.
Subject: OBITUARY RMD
Note: The "ROC" in the obit is for "Republic of China" the official name for Taiwan.
CHANGHUA, ROC (Taiwan) Rev. Richard M. Devoe, M.M. 82, died July 22 2006 at The Christian Hospital in that city. He was born in Boston, MA, March 31 1924, son of Charles and Grace (Goodrich) Devoe.
A resident of Lexington MA, he was a U. S. Navy veteran of WWII, serving in the European Theater
during that conflict with post-war service in the Pacific Theater.
He was a graduate of St. Ann's grammar school in Neponset, MA and Mission High School in Roxbury MA. In 1947 he entered Boston College and two years later transferred to Maryknoll Glen Ellyn College in Illinois where he took a B.A. degree in philosophy. He began his theological studies in 1952 at Maryknoll Seminary, Ossining, NY and was ordained to the priesthood June 9 1956 thus fifty years shortly before his death. Assigned to missionary work in Taiwan, he first studied Taiwanese and Manderin languages, later serving as assistant pastor in a number of parishes. He was later assigned to work as pastor with the native Formosan (aboriginal) Atayal people, learned yet another language and ministered in the Nakahara and BaiKhe parishes in the mountainous regions of Taiwan where he served for nearly forty years. Father Devoe maintained a "three days and three nights each week" schedule to serve his two parishes, each located some two hours distant from the other. He lost two churches and rectories to the September 1999 earthquakes in Taiwan, all rebuilt within a few years.
Among the Atayals, "men hunt and women weave" so their pastor hunted with the men and introduced the woman to jack-loom weaving, a method far superior and less tiring than that to which they were accustomed.
Once Vatican II allowed the use of the vernacular in the liturgy, Father Devoe began the translation of the texts and songs into the Atayal language and he later added the Four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles to his work.
He was pre-deceased by a sister-in-law, Genevieve (Roster) Devoe of Stratham in 1982 and by a sister Grace O'Connor of Bensonville, Il in 2004. He is survived by two brothers, Charles L. Devoe and his wife Mary (Lawton) Devoe of Lexington, MA and Col John B. Devoe and his wife Gwendolen Young Devoe of Stratham as well as three sisters, Patricia McDonough of Bedford MA, Joanne Aieta of Englewood FL, Mary O'Connor of Needham MA and many nephews and nieces.
Cremation has taken place and a number of funeral services will be held in Taiwan after which his remains will be escorted from Taipei to the Douglas Funeral Home in Lexington MA by three nephews. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Brigid Church Lexington at 10:00 a.m. August 12 with internment at Westview Cemetery Lexington.
In lieu flowers, donations may be made to the charity of one's choice.
(Prepared by Col. John B. Devoe, 117 High St. Stratham NH 03885 772-5004, Cell 603 557 7475